2003 Chapter 2003. Darmos
They left Chris' secret garden. Jack and Grace returned to Thereath. Jeanny and Paytowin returned to Heavenly Citadel. John and Linda went elsewhere.
Jack checked with Thaergood to check the preparation for tomorrow's coronation. A notification about the coronation had been broadcast throughout the country. Everyone was surprised by the news. The citizens thought there was some kind of political power struggle going on. They just went through the tension of the underworld invasion followed by the appearance of a tyrannical God. They couldn't handle any more country-scale trouble. The authorities had to assure the citizens repeatedly that this was the king's wish. There was no foul play.
Thaergood asked if Jack could postpone the coronation to next week. Many native nobles were not in the capital. Only a few could attend tomorrow's ceremony since the usage of the zone portal for natives was limited.
Jack told Thaergood to stick to tomorrow. He wished to put the kingdom matters behind him as soon as possible. Grace went with Thaergood to help with the preparation while Jack returned to his quarter to rest.
On his way, Jack heard the flaps of wings and sensed Eoranth's approach. He went to the balcony to greet the country guardian. Eoranth was whole again. He received the Reconstruct Potion from Tip a few days ago.
"I heard you are giving up your sovereignty," Eoranth said.
"That's true," Jack confirmed. "Do you want to quit being the country guardian? I won't stop you, but I will feel safer with you looking after this place after I leave."
"I will stay. This place isn't so bad," Eoranth replied.
"That's great! I'm happy to hear it," Jack said.
"Come with me. There is something I want to show you," Eoranth said.
Jack was intrigued by the invitation. Eoranth flew away without explaining more. Jack took to the sky, going after the dragon. They continued to rise until the summit of Mount Thenias behind the capital. Eoranth was leading Jack to his current lair, which used to be Broidrireg's.
Jack expected another convention of true dragons inside. Maybe the dragons were celebrating the end of the Calamity caused by Master and the underworld invasion. To his disappointment, the cavern was empty. Eoranth was the only true dragon inside.
Eoranth went to the island at the center of the small lake inside the cavern, where the dragons used to convene during Jack's previous visit. Jack followed him there.
Landing on the island, Jack looked around. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
"What do you wish to show me?" Jack asked.
"Give it time. He is shy to a stranger," Eoranth said.
"He…?"
"Come out now. He is a friend," Eoranth uttered. He was not looking in Jack's direction.
Jack followed Eoranth's gaze and saw a boulder there. He sensed something alive appearing behind the boulder. The mana he sensed from behind the boulder was weak but familiar. He couldn't really tell why it was familiar.
He continued to stare at the boulder without approaching. Not long after, a head peeked out. It was a dragon. A tiny dragon with blue scales.
"That…"
"He is Broidrireg's offspring," Eoranth introduced.
"Offspring?!" Jack was startled by the revelation. Peniel also came out of her hidden dimension to look at the tiny dragon.
"He is so cute…!" The fairy flew over and caused the tiny dragon to hide behind the boulder. Jack soon sensed the dragon's presence disappeared.
"He can also hide inside a hidden dimension?" Peniel said with surprise.
"That is his inherent ability," Eoranth explained. We are also surprised by it. That was a rare ability possessed only by a few. For a true dragon, he is probably the first one to have it."
"No wonder I can't sense him when I enter this cavern," Jack said. He ran to the boulder and didn't see the tiny dragon anywhere.
"You two should give him some space," Eoranth said.
"Sorry." Jack and Peniel moved away from the boulder.
The blue dragon materialized on top of the boulder. After having a good look, Jack did see a lot of Broidrireg's features on this small dragon. They both had sleek blue scales and elongated bodies like those of the eastern dragons.
"Who is his mother?" Jack asked.
"Mother?" Eoranth gave Jack a bewildered expression.
"Broidrireg is his father, right? What about his mother?"
"You must have mistaken the true dragons here with the ones you know from your world's lore," Peniel told Jack. "The true dragon in this world isn't born from the union of two dragons. Broidrireg is his only parent."
"Huh…?"
Peniel sighed at Jack's confused expression. She explained further, "A true dragon doesn't mate. They bear offspring when the mana within them accumulates to the peak state. This happens rarely. Out of a true dragon's long life, this probably happens only three times top, or never at all. That is why there are so few true dragons around."
"Broidrireg passed away without any regrets. He felt he had done all he could. He had high hopes that the ones he left behind, especially you, Jack, could take care of the world," Eoranth said. "Even with the underworld force looming, he didn't doubt you can deal with the calamity. During that peaceful passing, he must have drawn the mana into him. They coalesced into a new dragon egg, which hatched into this tiny one you see here."
"What is his name?" Jack asked while making gestures to invite the tiny dragon over.
"Broidrireg still had some breaths left when he birthed the egg. He told us to name his offspring Darmos."
Jack froze upon hearing the name. A well of emotion rose within him. Broidrireg gave his offspring the name of his disguise. This was as if telling everyone he lived on in this offspring dragon.
When Jack was still, Darmos finally gathered up his courage. He flew toward Jack and circled him. After a while, he perched on Jack's shoulders. His lengthy body wrapped around Jack's neck. It was as if Jack was wearing a living blue scarf.
"He likes you," Eoranth chuckled.
"He must have sensed your connection with his father," Peniel said.
"Hehe, Darmos. Let's get along, shall we," Jack patted the tiny dragon's head. It made a purring sound like a kitten.
They spent the night inside the cavern. Jack had several fish inside his inventory. He cooked them and gave them to Darmos. Like his father, Darmos enjoyed good meals and ate quite a lot. Jack and Peniel played with the little dragon the entire night while Eoranth watched from the side. They slept inside the cavern when they got tired.
Peniel woke Jack up the next morning. When Jack refused to wake up, she splashed him using the water from the lake.
"What the hell, lady! Can't you let me sleep a few more hours?" Jack complained.
"Sleep your head! The coronation, remember? Grace has been sending messages for half an hour now!"
"Oh, shit!" Jack jumped to his feet. "Got to go!" He told Eoranth and Darmos.
Darmos flew chasing after him in response. It clung onto his back as he flew toward the exit. Jack stopped. He looked at Darmos on his back before looking at Eoranth.
"Take care of him," Eoranth said. "Broidrireg would want that."
"Are you sure?" Jack asked.
"I can't tell him to stay even if I want to," Eoranth replied. "A true dragon is independent once they hatch. This stubbornness is one of the reasons why very few true dragons survive their early years. If he decides to follow you, I can't stop him. I just hope you can protect him."
"He can hide inside the hidden dimension. I'm sure he will be fine even if he follows us," Peniel said.
"Okay," Jack said. He patted Darmos again. "Just remember to hide whenever there is danger, okay?"
Darmos nodded, showing that he understood the request.
"Smart kid. All right, let's go. After today, we are free to go on adventuring!" Jack exclaimed. He waved at Eoranth before flying out of the cavern.
When he approached Thereath, he saw crowds had assembled around the palace. The courtyard was filled with people. When those people saw Jack above, they cheered and waved at him.
"You are one rather popular sovereign, aren't you? Are you sure you want to give this all up?" Peniel asked.
"I'm not built for this. I only rule because of necessity. If I continue to do this, I will become unhappy. If I'm unhappy, I might make wrong decisions in my rule. Better leave it to a more qualified person," Jack replied.
Jack waved back at the crowds before entering the palace from the balcony.
Grace had been waiting there. She scolded Jack when he entered, "Where the hell have you– Who is this…?"
Grace stopped her reproach when she noticed Darmos on Jack's shoulder.
"This is Darmos. Darmos, this is Grace," Jack introduced the two.
"Darmos…?"
"He is Broidrireg's offspring."
"Really?!" Grace couldn't hide her surprise.
"We can talk about it later. Is the ceremony ready?" Jack asked.
"Right! We are just waiting for you. Hurry up!" Grace remembered the situation and quickly urged Jack to follow her.